Crystal Rose Cottage

It’s Just Me!

2012-01-13T14:40:00.001-05:00

It’s just me! Poking my head out….letting you know I am still around! I had a very nice holiday…very busy and fun, but then my husband and I got sick the week between Christmas and New Years. We didn’t get the “sick take to bed” kind, but just enough of a head cold to make you miserable for a few days. On New Years weekend I cracked a tooth, near the nerve(crunching away on a tortilla chip) a perfectly good tooth or a “virgin tooth” as my dentist called it. Could not get in until the Tuesday after New Years because of the holiday and then I got the bad news. Because it is not fixable…….grrrrr….(expensive) and because it is near the front of my mouth and you can see it when I smile I had to have an impression made and now have to wait to have it pulled so my temporary won’t be ready until next week. So, I get my tooth pulled and my temporary bridge “installed” on the same day. I have been on a boatload of antibiotics, and I can’t chew on one side of my mouth and when I do it has to be very soft. (very painful) So much fun! In the meantime, I have been just hanging out and working on some knitting I started last year.

Here is a scarf I just finished today……

It’s so soft! Made from bamboo yarn!

A few years ago I “relearned” how to knit and I have been chipping away at it a little bit at a time. It passes the time , keeps my hands busy and my mind off of my tooth. I’ve also been doing a little bit of work and gathering ideas on my dollhouse. I’ve also been organizing, a little cleaning and taking it easy. Exciting , huh? So that’s how 2012 is going for me , thus far! Hope it is going well for you! See you all soon!

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Patti

Holiday Decorating

2011-12-16T17:14:00.001-05:00

Welcome to my house for the holiday! Please take a little tour of my holiday decorating!

I like to stir my hot chocolate with a peppermint stick! Yum!

I think I am just about ready for the holidays….time to sit back and relax and enjoy the season!

Merry Christmas to all of my friends and a Happy and Healthy New Year too!!

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Patti

Dollhouse Is Ready for the Holidays!

2011-12-12T10:57:00.001-05:00

Now that I have the inside of my real home decorated, I brought the dollhouse upstairs and placed it next to the fireplace. Don’t worry, no roaring fires, just some candles occasionally behind glass doors. As you can see, I have made a few exterior changes to the outside. I put fresh paint all over,including trim and I whitewashed the brick.

As you can see, the greenery is wrapped and the red bows are hung and the lights are up!

Right now I have the inside decorated and lighted tree up on the 2nd floor in front of the big window. In person, it is easier to see the lights on it instead of the bay window downstairs.

The front door looks pretty inviting to come in and maybe there is a roaring fire and a cozy place to sit and have some hot chocolate. Unfortunately, I am not to that place yet but hopefully after the first of the year I will be starting on inside details like the wallpaper, trims, furniture and getting a little shabby chic, french cottage look. Right now I am still in the preholiday mode, shopping, baking, wrapping and getting ready for the big day. Holiday decorating pics of my real house to follow soon!

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Patti

My Dollhouse

2011-11-10T08:41:00.001-05:00

I made this dollhouse almost 20 years ago. It came from a kit and for the most part I built every stick of it except for a few fancy cuts by my husband. It took a couple of years…on and off. It really was a labor of love!

The seafoam green on the outside walls were painted before it was put together. The outside brick was some kind of powdered mixture that was stirred up and then applied with a stencil. I eventually bought a kit and had it electrified so all the little outside lights and inside lights would be able to be lit and look like a real house. I bought furniture for it and also some Christmas decorations, and displayed it for the holidays.

After a few years, life events picked up. My parents needed to be taken care of and at the same time grandchildren started to arrive……don’t they call that “the sandwich generation”…but in my case it was more like a “club sandwich”. There were 4 generations going on at once and I was right in the middle. The dollhouse took a back seat, and put in the basement for a number of years. The granddaughters discovered it when they got to be a certain age and I let them play with it. I would walk by it on my way to do laundry and notice it was still standing. I had long ago put away the expensive little items I had bought for it and knew that it was safe from little hands. Then one day recently I noticed a few blogs showing their dollhouses and it started to get me interested in my own again….”hey, I have one of those”…..so I carried it upstairs under good light and noticed that it was not in too bad of shape after all these years. A few broken things…nothing that couldn’t be fixed …a little bit of crayon scribblings on the wall…that could be painted over. A little bit of mildew, but nothing a good cleaning and a bit of paint couldn’t fix.

The inside never really got finished but I plan to remedy that!

Actually this really could be the fun part! I am looking forward to the planning and process! I will keep you updated from time to time and let you see my process! This could become “Mon Petite Crystal Rose Cottage”………eventually!

Patti

The End of the Rainbow?

2011-10-31T08:03:00.001-04:00

While driving home on Saturday from Columbus, we were headed down I-70. The sun was shining but we started to see some clouds and then it was sprinkling. The sky was blue but all of sudden we could see just a slight rainbow on the horizon ahead of us. As we drove closer it was getting larger and taller.

This wasn’t a full rainbow….the sky was very blue above the clouds.

As you can see, there is another slight rainbow just to the right of the other one….but I have never seen the bottom of a rainbow that close and that vibrant!

See how the bottom of the rainbow just seems to dive into the ground? I wish I had been able to capture a photo as we moved passed that bush, but I was looking at it with my own eyes and not though a lens and was kind of awestruck of how golden it “glowed.” Then, suddenly it was gone….. All of this was taken with my Iphone…not the best quality and we were driving 65mph and I was trying to snap between wiper swipes!

Hope everyone has a fun Halloween…looks like it could be a dark, dreary and drizzly day here….

Patti

Rural Society Antiques and Apple Butter Stirrin Festival and Wild Animals on the Run!

2011-10-19T09:56:00.001-04:00

Excitement from my part of the world! Some of you may have heard about the wild animals loose in Ohio on the national news this morning. We live about 5 miles from the farm where it happened and we are staying in side until they have assessed the situation. Now that it is daylight, hopefully they will be able to get any of the more dangerous animals that are still on the run. They are all carnivores and a cheetah can run pretty fast and they could be hungry. I am looking out the windows frequently and not letting my little Chihuahuas outside or myself for that matter!

Saturday we had a wonderful Fall day and started out at the Rural Antique Society show in Mt Vernon, Ohio.

This pic was taken from the car as we were pulling up the gravel road to the farm.

I didn’t get a lot of pics of the actual show and farm but I did run into a couple of Ohio blogger friends! This is Debby from Cozy Blanket and we were comparing notes on what we were buying and what not to miss! See that big tole painted tray I am holding? That is one of 2 items that I bought. Great price on this tray too! I want to hang it on the wall….anyone have any ideas on the best way to do this? I would like the flat of the tray to be flat to the wall. What about those adhesive thingies with the hooks??? I have never used one of those before and don’t know their strength and reliability. (I don’t know why my shoes are glowing??)

This is Pam from Frippery who was a vendor at the show. (I am sorry Pam but for some reason I could not insert the hyperlink to your blog here). We just met that day and she and her husband are so nice! I bought one more thing that is in the bag I am holding but I will show that in another post.

After we left the antique show we headed on down to Coshocton, Ohio and to the “Apple Butter Stirrin Festival.” We always try to get to this fall event every year. It is at the historic village of Roscoe Village and is a restored canal town. It is full of speciality shops and some restaurants and historic buildings.

It was a super windy day but seeing the colorful fall leaf colors swirling around made it all the more beautiful! I got a bag of kettle corn and the hubby and I walked around and enjoyed the sights and smells and music!

Love to hear the crunch of leaves under my feet this time of year!

Lots of crafts and people watching!

That’s a replica of an old canal boat…at least I think it is a replica.(could be the real deal).that is sitting up on the hill above that white tent. I love my genealogy and found out that my great grandfather had a canal boat back in the 1800’s and his family would entertain people along stops in southern Ohio. “The Hunter Family Band”…they all played instruments! I apparently didn’t inherit that gene….I love to listen to music but can’t read it or play a musical instrument.

I could have taken more photos but I didn’t bring my camera and all pics were taken with my IPhone. I am glad I got out for these dwindling days of Fall colors and enjoyed myself. In the meantime, it is a soggy, chilly day here and we are on wild animal watch!

Patti

Harp Table Redone

2011-10-13T14:35:00.001-04:00

Hope everyone is enjoying this lovely Fall weather we are having! Where I live the leaf colors are just now coming alive! I want to show another piece of furniture that I got done recently. I just moved it indoors today. Here is the before photo:

As you can see, it had a lot of water damage on the top surface. I sanded and sanded an when I painted with the Old White Chalk paint it still bled through so I had to wax and then apply another layer of paint. That seemed to do the trick but it is just slightly noticeable. Here are the results:

My husband wants to find a piece of glass to go on top…..

Another little table I picked up around the same time got a makeover too. Here is it’s before:

This one needed some major structural work done it. Hubby had to take it apart and glue and nail it back together. Here it is finished:

I did this one in Paris Gray with Old White dry brushed on top. I feel like I painted most of this past summer! I still have 2 more tables to do out in the garage but it is not going to get done this year. Now that we are into Fall my mind is turning more toward sewing and attempting those slipcovers I keep thinking about. One last picture…..I wanted you to see my Fall mantle.

Think I will make myself a cup of tea and contemplate the rest of the day. Have a good one!

Patti

Time Flies!

2011-09-26T08:33:00.001-04:00

I can’t believe how fast this past summer has gone and I am shocked that we are now into the last week of September! Where did the time go? They (meaning people that used to be older than me but no longer with us) used to say “the older you get, the faster time goes”. I find that to be very true now that I am about that age….okay, some would say I am “that” age. Speaking of age, that is part of what I did this summer….2 high school reunions, and another reunion with my girlfriends from that time. Hard to believe it has been 40 years since high school graduation. It’s nice to know that when you see people from your past you can pick up right from where you left off all those years ago. In the between time of reunions, I have been working on several projects. Just wanted to show you my most recent one.

This is a vanity that belongs to my granddaughter. It was given to her by her aunt and she wanted me to make it pretty. She also needed a little chair or bench to go with it, so that was on my list of things to find at a garage sale.

I found this rusty crusty metal vanity seat for $2….it also came with a cushion.

Here it is! I delivered it to her yesterday and we all think it looks just darling! I painted the bench white, made a pretty pink cover for the cushion and painted the vanity in Chalk Paint. The drawer front was painted in a pretty pink Valspar spray. The knobs are recycled from an old chest of drawers. My son and DIL just moved into a 100 yr old farmhouse 2 weeks ago and they are really making it cozy and cute!

I have another project almost finished that I will share soon. This is my first post in quite a while but what can I say…life happens! Sometimes it is easier to check out what everyone else has been doing than sharing what I have done. Lots going on in the next few weeks….Fall festivals, Barn sales and some Fall decorating. Hope you are enjoying this time of year!

Patti

Another Project Crossed Off the List

2011-08-11T11:07:00.001-04:00

I found this cute little table at a garage sale this summer for $5. I wasn’t sure at the time what or where I would use it but bought it anyway because I love the legs on it and I knew that it had a place somewhere.

I used a coat of Paris Grey chalk paint on the first coat and then a coat of Old White on the top, and after distressing, a coat of clear Fiddes wax. I thought it would be the perfect place to put my photo printer inside and my scanner on top. Please ignore the cords….still hooking things up!

Our almost reorganized office room is slowly but surely coming together. This was the perfect answer to the situation!

On a different note, I wanted to show this cute little plant stand I picked up at Kathy Stantz Nostalgia Cottage show in June. Very simple painted silver planter on top of a plain piece of landscape timber turned on it’s end and a square wood board for a base. I vintage coat hook completes it. I wasn’t sure where I was going to put it. but after cutting some green Hydrangea for drying, I thought putting a vase of it in front of the fireplace was a perfect spot…..for now anyways!

Saturday I found another Harp coffee table. The price was too good to pass up so I brought it home. We have a van again so I am going kind of crazy hauling big things home! This table has a glass piece sitting on top so that was another selling point for me. I have 3 unfinished coffee tables and one sofa…….hmmmmm….maybe I can turn one into a foot of bed bench?

Chalk Paint Desk

2011-07-25T17:13:00.001-04:00

I can’t believe that I have been outside in this heat all last week and working on this desk! I have had a stack of furniture sitting in my garage waiting to be painted but with no motivation from me to go out in this heat, let alone sand and prime, it was just sitting there and going nowhere, fast! Until I got a little motivation from Linda at French Hen Farm and her enthusiasm about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint! I have been hesitant to try it mostly because of the price but when weighing the pros and cons of what was waiting for me in the garage, I decided to take the plunge and order a couple of cans. This was all with my hubby’s blessing since he is tired of it all taking up space in the garage. I was so excited when the paint came that I forgot to take a before and after but I did manage to catch the drawers in their original state and the gold knobs that were on it.

This is with the first coat of Old White on the desk.

And here it is finished in Old White and Paris Grey drawer fronts!

Close up of the new frosted glass knobs from Hobby Lobby. I am still not sure about the grey fronts on the drawers. I might do a diluted whitewash on them just to tone them down. I have a coat of clear wax on the whole desk and want to keep the desk on the brighter side. I am also thinking of putting a small applique on the middle top drawer just to dress it up a little.

The desk is in the office where I just hung the antique chandelier. More work to be done in this room. Trying to make it mutually satisfying to both me and the hubby!! At least I can cross this part of the project off the list…..but still more furniture to paint and more chalk paint to buy! I love that I don’t have to sand and prime!

Nostalgia’s Cottage Vintage Market

2011-06-27T08:05:00.001-04:00

Saturday was our annual trek to Mansfield, Ohio and the Nostalgia’s Cottage Vintage Market Days. This year it was held in a historic Victorian home in Downtown Mansfield. This house was beautiful inside! It also was For Sale, $69,900! I did not get any photos of the outside because I was too busy looking at the garden items for sale in the front yard.

Each room of the house was filled with vintage treasures.

Lots to look at!

This was only a small sampling of what was on For Sale. I had spotted a desk that would have worked perfect in my new office redo so with the owners permission we were able to take it out to our car and see if it would fit for the ride home. Well, no matter how hard we tried to finagle it in, one way or another, it just would not go. My hubby and I were very disappointed but facts were facts and we had to let it go. I guess it was not meant to be.

Thank you, Kathy of Sylvia's Vintage Daughter for hosting another great show!

I will show you what I bought in the next few days! In the meantime, I am getting ready for a garage sale on Friday and Saturday….FINALLY….I am getting it together!

Garden and Roses

2011-06-13T09:45:00.001-04:00

I wanted to share some pics of my roses and a few garden blooms. This is the 3rd season for the roses and despite all the rain we have had they are really coming along!

These New Dawn roses are at the front of my house.

This is a close up of the roses next to my arbor off the back patio.

Roses on the other side of the arbor.

My Knockout Roses have done fantastic so far this year too!

The Irises kept blooming and stayed around for a decent amount of time.

My new Foxglove did well the first year too. It has lost most of it’s blooms now….not sure if I will get any more.

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All of the rain we had I am sure was a big help to a great start for the roses and the perennials. I hope you are all enjoying your gardens this year! I will have more to show as each plant comes into their blooming time of the season!

Patti

I Finally Finished a Project!

2011-06-05T17:52:00.001-04:00

Finishing a project is kind of momentous for me lately so I am so glad and relieved to have accomplished something! Of course, this project I had to have help with…… meaning my hubby, because I am not electrically inclined in any shape or form. You remember this dusty, crusty chandelier that I picked up at a garage sale a few weeks ago? Well, after a thorough cleaning and a new paint job it is finally done and hanging from the ceiling! Yay!

It’s actually been painted and sitting around waiting to go up but I had to wait till hubby had the time and patience to do it. Today was the day and I am very happy with the results! Twenty bucks for a brass chandelier that had 55 crystals hanging on it, was well worth it in my book!

Since we connected it direct the only place we could put it right now is in our office room. We both have our desks in there but I told my husband we needed to pretty the room up more to go with the chandelier. That means getting him a new desk and a lot more organization! Believe me, you don’t want me to pan down with the camera to his desk!

I think I need to make one of those cord covers to hide the chain and wire………one of these days.

Now I need to tackle all that furniture sitting in my garage to paint…….after I have a garage sale.

1st Garage Sales of this Year

2011-05-12T08:09:00.000-04:00

The first Saturday in May usually kicks off some annual community garage sales in my town. It was a cool and drizzly day and we got a late start because of a last minute appointment but we finally got there and a choice parking spot. This neighborhood is an older one with unique and charming homes with alleys behind them which gives them access to their garages. It’s nice to just walk up and down the alleys and visit each garage. This year however everyone was having them in their front yards…I don’t know why since the threat of rain was in the air. Well, I have to tell you most of the sales I was seeing was packed with children’s clothes which would have been great if I was still the mother of little ones…..but usually I pass those up. After walking up and down the streets we resigned ourselves that there was nothing we were interested in. We left and decided to just drive around the outskirts of town and we finally ended up outside the city limits. We see this nice area with a community sales sign at their main street and stop at the first stop. Ok, this looks like they might have some good “stuff”….the first house we stop at I spy a really nice antique chandelier. “Does that say $20 on it’s tag?” It is a really nice size with lots of crystals…needs some cleaning and I instantly visualize it painted up and sparkling in one of my rooms.

This lady tells me that she even has a box of extra crystals….the crystals alone are worth the price so I tell her that I want it……happy, happy, happy!! It’s a heavy one too…brass. On to the next sale….

I am looking everything over and I see this shelf….the kind I have been trying to find that would make a great bed crown. I have been looking at one at a local antique store with a price tag of $25 and I will not pay that much for it and the lady that owns the shop acted insulted when I offered her $15. It’s been sitting there for over a year covered in dust. I know it will be sitting there from here on out. I got this one for $5. I am happy again! It will look pretty painted antique white and hanging above the bed in my guest room with some pretty sheer fabric draping down from it!

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I think I did pretty good starting out this season! I usually budget $20 for Saturday sales….an extra $5 didn’t hurt. Now I just need some time to do all these projects! Right now all extra time is taken for keeping up with grass cutting and planting flowers and getting the vegetable garden ready. Saturday is almost here …again…more sales and of course….more rain. Hope you all have a great weekend!~

Happy Mother’s Day Mom…….

2011-05-07T20:29:00.001-04:00

Miss you!

Projects

2011-04-25T08:28:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to update you on what I have been doing around the house besides cleaning up our yard from all the leaves that have collecting against our fence line over this long winter. Last year I showed you our humongous living room window that had the aluminum mini blinds that I was not very happy with. The above pic is our final decision to replace the aluminum mini’s with the 2” faux wood blinds. The photo really doesn’t show much of a difference but we are very happy with the new ones! So much easier to clean and they give us privacy and we really like the way they look!

You might remember this table we bought on one of our antique outings. Well, the weather finally cooperated for 1 day and I decided to get out into the garage and do some sanding.

Then there is this table…it got sanded too.

…….and this one. I have had this one for a while but wasn’t sure I wanted to use it in my living room. It’s a little bit big for the room. I love the lines of it though! I am actually thinking of using it as a “bench” at the foot of our bed. Still thinking that one over. Anyway, after I got them all sanded and almost ready to prime we started having rounds of severe storms and my husband wanted my car back in the garage because of predicted hail. Can’t argue with that one! So, everything is piled back up in the corner of the garage and now I am waiting for the planets, jet streams, gulf moisture and my time to all align so I can get out there and start painting! Very aggravating! Our grass however looks like a luscious carpet of emerald green! Trade offs!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-22T09:54:00.001-04:00

Happy Easter Everyone! Hoping to be back soon with some projects I have finished….till then, have a beautiful and blessed holiday!

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Hugs, Patti

Time Away

2011-03-12T22:12:00.001-05:00

I have been absent for a while. I just got back from a 10 day visit with my sister in Sarasota, Florida.

The weather was perfect everyday but one with temps in the mid to high 70’s! What a nice escape from this long cold and snowy winter. The night before we left we took this photo on the beach…the wind was blowing so hard you could hardly each other talk.

It’s back to reality now….Spring will be here in a matter of days and lots of projects to tackle! I am seeing a lot of sanding and painting in my future now that I will be able to work out in the garage again. I’ll keep you posted!

Antique Find and What I Won

2011-02-23T21:22:00.001-05:00

While out antiquing in the past few weeks, I picked up this harp table. It needs a lot of work!

Hopefully I can transform it into something really pretty. I am thinking of a creamy white with an antique glaze. It is the perfect size for the room too!

I recently won a giveaway on Sissie’s blog and I was thrilled when it arrived! She had it all wrapped so pretty!

I love my new shabby pink pillow! Isn’t it pretty!

A pretty new pink teacup!

And….this original artwork…isn’t it gorgeous! Someone had a lot of patience to do this intricate work with such precision!

Thank you Sissie for such a wonderful giveaway!

Winter Antiquing

2011-02-11T08:27:00.001-05:00

What better way to spend these past weekends of cold and snowy weather than to go antiquing! Luckily we have some local antique stores in our area that we could get to easily during the constant weeks of one snowstorm after snowstorm.

I just wanted to show you a few of the treasures that I have picked up this past month. I was kind of into a “old bottle” hunt for a while and had to pick up these to put into my kitchen window so the sun could shine through them!

I found this pretty pink glass sugar bowl that I thought would look pretty in my glass china hutch!

It was “cheap cheap”…..but then I am not one to put out a lot of money on anything….always looking for a “deal”! I think it was 99 cents!

I loved the colors in these vintage potholders…..had to have them! All 3 for $5.

A pretty little pink pottery vase!

I could not resist this pretty little Homer Laughlin “Pastural” plate. I love the green and white colors, the tranquil scene and the embossing on the sides!

A sweet little rose pattern plate!

Finally, I like to collect little antique perfume bottles! I got this little one with the heart shape stopper for 99 cents! I have it sitting on my silver tray in my bedroom with a few of my collectibles and next to a little wedding picture of my parents from 1936. The larger perfume bottle belonged to my grandmother.

These are just a few special things that I found. There is more…..some furniture that needs to be transformed. old sheet music, old books and then something came home with my husband yesterday that I had looked at a week ago……it still needs to be cleaned up so the crystals sparkle…..I will share them with you soon!

Winter Cleaning

2011-01-31T08:04:00.001-05:00

Last week when my husband was out of town, I got into the cleaning mood and decided to do a little early Spring cleaning..more like “middle of winter” cleaning! Sometimes when it is just you in the house for a few days you can get things done at your own pace and to your own liking. I actually walked into my dining room to get something and noticed some dust…and then I noticed more…YUCK. Ok…time to get all the exposed china off the shelves and into the sink.

After a few hours later, plates and teapots started to look a little shinier and shelves a lot cleaner. These are a few of my plates and miniature teapot collection. Most of this china I picked up here and there..garage sales, antique stores for very little money.

It sure makes you feel good when your house is clean! All the holiday stuff is put away and I even put my snowman collection is put away….I don’t know about you but it makes me want to get my home ready for Spring!

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I wanted to let everyone know how much I appreciated all the comments and opinions on the slipcovers! I am actually thinking about making my own, believe it or not! I am a sewer, although in recent years most of it was making quilts. I dug out my making basic slipcovers book and made a trip to the library, picked up more and youtube has a few good videos, it could be all I need to at least try, so I think I am going to start with something small like a chair cushion or my ottoman and see if I survive it! Thank you Amy for your encouragement! I’ll keep you posted!

Slipcovers

2011-01-24T11:55:00.001-05:00

I am thinking of getting slipcovers for this sofa chair and ottoman. I have never bought slipcovers before but have been looking at some websites online and checking out pricing, etc. This photo shows my sofa 4 years ago when it was new. Since then it has taken abuse from 2 dogs, 3 grandkids and of course people in general. I would like to get some feedback on those of you who have ever bought slipcovers, where you bought them, how do they do laundry wise when washed and dried, you know all the pertinent info! I look at it as an investment since some that I have liked, were kind of on the “pricey” side. I would like to do a white or off white to lighten up things for Spring and Summer. I have a blonde dog who sheds constantly and the green just shows up every hair! Drives me crazy! Any ideas or opinions would be much appreciated!

Holiday Surprise, Sickness, and Snowmen

2011-01-03T19:33:00.001-05:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! It seemed to go so fast this year! A few days before Christmas I found out I was the lucky winner of these beautiful crown bottles from LaurieAnnas Vintage Home! I just loved them when I seen them so I was thrilled to be the winner!

I got them in the mail on Christmas Eve…..very exciting!

On New Years Eve I got sick again….yuck. Just starting to feel better today. My husband was so nice to help me take the decorations down…when I couldn’t stand anymore I supervised from the sofa. Glad that job is over with! Today I got a lot of cleaning done and Christmas decorations organized in tubs in the basement. For the month of January I always put up my snowmen around the fireplace and on the mantle.

Oops! Forgot to move the scarf over the “Let it Snow” sign.

These guys only stay out a few weeks because by the end of January I have had my fill of snow and am looking forward to Spring.

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Today I have been thinking of the year ahead and future decorating projects around the house. Maybe making a few new decorating changes in the master bedroom and even redoing my sewing room into a craft room with a shabby chic look. I am inspired by some of the creative craft rooms I have seen in some blogs. When I say these things out loud with my husband in ear shot, I can see him “rolling” his eyes. I do know one thing after spending some time in the basement today…..I need to have a garage sale as soon as Spring hits!

Christmas on the Outside

2010-12-17T08:43:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to show you a few photos from the outside of the house. I didn’t make a lot of changes this year but I did want to show you my $5 wooden Santa that I found at a garage sale this past summer.

He’s almost as tall as I am(hey, I am not tall!) and I thought he was so cute! Other’s at the garage sale thought the same thing but I grabbed him first! It was a very warm day…… it felt odd to be buying Christmas items but for $5, I had to have him!

Very simple this year, but I like it that way.

I think a green wreath with a beautiful bow and a white spotlight always looks pretty and classic on the front of the house!

Barn Treasures and Christmas Decorating

2010-12-10T13:37:00.001-05:00

I have been doing a little decorating with some of the goodies I got at the barn sale last Saturday. This is the little vintage tree that I had to have! It’s kind of blurry…don’t know why. I tried taking several and they all still looked blurry. It could have been the lighting.

This is my Santa mantle this year. Some of these Santas I have had for years. The taller green ceramic Santa is one I made in my first ceramic class that I took years ago. I am quite proud of him! The Santa on the far right is one that I made for my aunt and after she passed away, I inherited it back. The other Santas I got at various bazaars over the years. There is also a photo of my visit to Santa when I was 3. It was at downtown Lazarus and I can still remember his breath not being too pleasant!

My brother looks quite excited to tell him all about his list! I am not quite sure what to think by the look on my face!

I found a little tree at Hobby Lobby and decided to decorate it with white mini lights and a string of crystals and some pretty lacy snowflakes that I got at Dollar Tree. I wanted a little sparkley tree in our bedroom to sit on my antique white leaf table. It looks so pretty at night!

Scattered around below the tree are some vintage oraments that I got at an antique store in Marysville. There were a set of 12 in the original box that was dated 1958 and they cost a mere 90 cents that year!

Last but not least is my little bottle snowman that I got at the barn sale. I think he is so cute! He is sitting right next to my little bedroom tree. After the holidays he will be joining my snowman collection that gets displayed through the month of January or until I can’t take any more reminders of snow….whichever comes first! Stay tuned for more decorating!

Ohio Bloggers Holiday Get Together

2010-12-06T22:05:00.001-05:00

Well, it finally happened! We actually got 5 of us together at one time in one place! Hey, that’s hard to do this time of the year! We all met at The French Hen Farm Barn Sale on Saturday morning! I got there a little later than everyone else but at least I finally made it! Here is a photo of all 5 of us. I am in the front and from left to right… is Debby, Sue, La and Cindy. A nice group of ladies!

The first thing I noticed when I walked in were the many beautiful chandeliers hanging from the rafters. There were some really gorgeous ones!

Here are just a few of them. I saw price tags on some of them but not all.

After we left the barn we headed toward Marysville and went to a few of the town’s antique stores. I had to leave after that but the others went on to lunch and enjoyed each other a little while longer. Hopefully we will be getting together again for another outing in the near future!

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In my next post I will show you what I got on Saturday!

Frustration At The Holidays!

2010-12-03T23:45:00.001-05:00

The past week has been hectic and upsetting around here! I lost one of my best friends, my computer. She was almost 5 years old but always reliable, loyal, although sometimes a little cantankerous at times. She got me through my move to another town when I didn’t have phone or other means to connect with family and friends. Well, she finally gave out on me last weekend and this time I knew that we were going to have to part. Some precious things were lost such as 4 years of genealogy work, email contacts and I am sure things that I am not totally aware of yet. I knew my XP like the back of my hand. It’s hard to lose someone who is always at your side and especially at the holidays! After a period of mourning, sadness, and stomach upset, a new friend has come into the house. Windows 7 is her name. A whole new friend to learn about, to know what she is thinking and where she might be holding information important to me. She will have to make friends with my printer, my camera and me. She is rather nice looking, though and she does seem to have a certain bounce in her step! I am getting to know her so I hope you will bear with me as I try to figure out what she is thinking and secrets she is waiting for me to discover. If this post actually makes it to my blog I will be amazed. It will give me hope that one day here soon I will be up and running with confidence and I can relax my shoulders and say out loud, “YES, I DID IT”!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

2010-11-22T12:56:00.001-05:00

I am sorry you haven’t heard much from me lately. I have been babysitting the grandbaby alot lately and then I got a nasty virus. I didn’t feel like do much of anything.

I am better now and looking forward to turkey day! I don’t have to cook this year except for making a Pecan Pie…yum…! I want to wish everyone a

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I hope you all have a beautiful day full of blessings!

A Few Finds

2010-11-01T11:52:00.001-04:00

Recently I went on an antique outing and found a couple of “special” things!

Look at this great silver plated ice bucket! I did clean it up because it was just a little too tarnished for me. I have it sitting on my pie safe in my dining room. I am trying to think of other uses for it somewhere else in my house. Anyone have any ideas?

I also got this really pretty chenille bedspread! It had all the colors I love and was in perfect condition!

I got these at “The Old Shoe Factory” in Lancaster, Ohio.

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Hope you all had a fun filled Halloween! Now on to the beginning of the upcoming holiday season! It will be here before we know it!

Happy November!

My Dining Room Decked Out For Fall

2010-10-20T12:07:00.001-04:00

In the past I have had a lot of compliments on the wallpaper in my dining room from snippets of vignettes that have shown it in the background. I decided since it was cleaned up and looking decent, I would show you the whole room with my fall decorations. A lot of what is in the room was bought at garage sales, antique stores or given to me from dear friends.

This year I decided to just do a big tray of pumpkins and gourds and Indian corn. I love the “bumpy” and “warty” textures on some of them!

This table is the one that I got a while back at a neighborhood garage sale. All of the silver was bought at garage sales too as was the china on the plate holder. The mirror I got at Goodwill and I painted it antique white.

My hutch that I painted, which I blogged about before, is on the opposite side of the room. It is full of china from garage sales, antique shows and also has a few special items that I keep on it!

This is the darling cupcake that I recently bought from my friend Missy at http://MyCozyCottage.blogspot.com Doesn’t it look good enough to eat? She makes cakes and some other yummy looking pastries!

This room apparently at one time was a porch and a previous owner enclosed it and made it the little dining/breakfast room. We use it mostly for holidays, company or tea parties with my grandkids. It is bright and sunny and I love the wallpaper because it has all my favorite colors!

Trip to the Pumpkin Farm

2010-10-07T08:51:00.001-04:00

Some of us were not as excited as the rest of us on our drive to the country to pick out a pumpkin……….

Some of us were a little impatient!

But once we got there, everyone “perked up” and scrambled to find the perfect pumpkin!

I think it was a successful trip to the Pumpkin Farm!

Fall Painting and Outdoor Decorating!

2010-09-30T15:27:00.001-04:00

Now that the heat and humidity has waned and cool crisp temps are here we decided it was time to get the ladder, rollers and paint out.

The day started out nice and pleasant with a little sun and comfortable temperatures. My husband got everything prepared for me to paint…..since it was “my” idea. He is very helpful that way! We left the shutters up since it was going to be a real pain to remove them from the siding….that’s what he told me, anyway. We decided on a paint color earlier this summer but didn’t actually make a final decision till the day before we painted. I only knew that the faded, chalky, scarlet colored shutters had to go!

Ahhhhhh…..looking better already!

By the time I got all the way around the house and the afternoon had passed I think the temperatures had dropped 20 degrees! I was chilled and had to go in the house to warm up. My sweet hubby cleaned up the paint and the mess that was left…..he’s very helpful that way!

Now the shutters are freshly painted, it was time to finish decorating for Fall.

The grandkids are coming this weekend….going to the pumpkin patch and I feel the need for more pumpkins!

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Have a wonderful Autumn weekend!

Botanicals

2010-09-21T21:37:00.001-04:00

I know that you haven’t seen a post from me in a while….life has been a little crazy and busy of late. After taking time to get ready for our company to come and then the actual visit, it has taken me a while to get back to a normal routine. While all this was going on, my camera started acting funny.

I wanted to share what my sister- in-law brought me from her home. Knowing that I love pink roses and the color green, she thought I should be the new owner of a special pair of botanical framed prints that she has had in her own home.

She thinks they are antique as she got them from an older couple when she was living in Florida.

I am so happy that she brought them for me! I thought I needed a change above my sofa and this fits the bill for me!

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Unfortunately, these are the last photos I got from my camera before it went black. I don’t know what is wrong with it but when I try to take a photo all I see in the viewer is black……so I can’t tell what I am taking a picture of. Anyone have any suggestions?

Hope you are all enjoying this wonderful almost Autumn weather! Hope to be back with you soon! I have some photos of a few projects I did but they are the “before” pics and not any of the “now”. Till then…….

Patti

Half Table

2010-08-18T19:12:00.001-04:00

I found this cute little half table for $2 at a garage sale this summer. It has been so hot that when the temps do go down a little I try and work on some painting projects in the garage. I finally got to this little table.

I knew I wanted to paint it a pretty white and use it in the bathroom.

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While we have a little break from the heat and before my out of town company comes in a couple of weeks, I am focusing on finishing a few more furniture pieces. Hopefully, I will be showing them soon too!

What I Bought

2010-08-04T18:27:00.001-04:00

It has been a while since I last posted about Kathy’s Vintage Market Days but I was having trouble loading my photos onto my computer. For some reason my computer was not reading my memory card. I finally got it to work so here are a few of the things that I bought.

I got this cute little angel sign too!

I was really interested in picking up a few clocks from Kathy and I ended up buying 4 of them!

I am trying to decide if I want to display them in a group or to put them in different vignettes throughout the house.

She had a nice selection of some pink ceramic statues and this is the one that I bought!

Last but not least is this pretty black tole painted tray that I just love! I thought it would look great in the kitchen and bring out the black in the granite and tie in with the black appliances and light fixtures! I got a few more little knickknacks but I don’t have pics of those yet. If my budget had been bigger and I had had a van or truck with me, there were some other large items I would have loved to have had! I had my granddaughters here last week and so didn’t get a lot accomplished “decorating wise”!

Vintage Market Days

2010-07-26T15:31:00.001-04:00

What a fun day I had Saturday! I finally got to meet Sue of Sullivan and Murphy! We have been trying to arrange a meeting for the longest time and yesterday was the day! We met at Vintage Market Days which was hosted by Kathy of Sylvia's Vintage Daughter. I had met Kathy in the early spring at an antique show in Columbus. This was held at Kathy's house and she and her friends really had a nice presentation of all kinds of vintage goodies!

Although it doesn't show people shopping, the tents were full of people when we got there. Of course the temperatures and the humidity were off the charts and everyone wanted to shop early while it was still bearable.

You can click on the pictures and see close up some of the great things she had to offer.

Even the back deck overlooking her pool had more sale tables!

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I got a box full of fun stuff that I will share soon. The best part of the day was spending time with Sue and Kathy. Isn't it great when you meet someone and you feel like you have known each other for a long time?

This n' That

2010-07-14T11:48:00.000-04:00

I know it has been awhile....between the heat, a little vacation, the heat.....just everyday stuff, I have been very lazy about blogging lately. I have been visiting everyone else regularly though! Everyone has been so inspiring! I have been to a few garage sales and found a few things that I have been repurposing or just recreating. I found this gold cherub at an estate sale a few weeks ago. I decided he was going to be a nice shade of white. I am still trying to decide what to display in the bowl? See that blue and white paper towel holder? I have had that thing for years. I got from one of those home decorating parties. It used to have a wooden goose sitting on top. That's long gone so I have just been using it to hold the paper towels. Well, I transformed it and will show it to you in an upcoming post.

Here is the result of the new paint job!

I found this sweet little floral candy dish at a garage sale too! It was kind of dirty so after giving it a good washing it now sparkles!

If you remember a few posts ago we had painted the island in the kitchen and I didn't like the way the new chairs and the new paint color were kind of in contrast of each other. We were at IKEA last week and I found these chair cushions that were more white than cream so I thought it would kind of combine the two colors together. The price wasn't bad and I didn't have to sew! It will do for now!

Saturday Treasures

2010-06-14T17:26:00.000-04:00

Saturday was the annual garage sale in the neighborhood that is a few blocks from my own. This is the one that I look forward to every year! It is one of my favorite homes to look at in my town. This is not the best photo because of cars and people and I was trying to be discreet....trying not to appear like a "house stalker"! This family owns a local company in town that has a design center in it so they have good "stuff" at cheap prices!

Here is a little cherub fountain that I got for $1! It works like a sprinkler.

I got three of these pillows for $1 each and the other two for 50 cents. The throw behind it is really pretty and has my colors of pink, rose and greens and white. Cost....50 cents!

This table was $5 and the McCoy pottery vase with the silk roses was $2. I have a few more things but I could get more than these photos to load on this post. I seen more items that I would have liked to have bought but they were being carried down the driveway in the arms of other customers.....:( I guess I can't have it all.

Any Ideas???

2010-06-09T08:32:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone! For the longest time I have been wanting to get some different opinions on what to do with this really large window in my living room. When we moved here a few years ago we kept all the custom made window treatments of the previous owners. This window had a traverse rod white sheer curtain that did not offer much privacy. The sides of the window are framed with a green/blue striped silk fabric that is clipped on to the brushed nickel rod. Soon after we moved in we removed the sheers and installed the mini blinds for more privacy.

Mini blinds are not my first choice for sure, but being the frugal person that I am, they were the easiest and cheapest alternative at the time. They are the biggest dust catchers! Across the top of the window I tried to diguise the traverse rod that is still hanging up there that is not doing a thing with a window scarf. This window faces the east and gets a lot of strong morning sun and it is huge. I love lots of windows but I am at a loss as to what to put up at this window that would look stylish, give us privacy and still blend in with the cottage theme of the house.

The window being the size that it is, would have to be divided in 3 sections. Mainly I guess I am trying to change out the mini blinds for something else. I would like to keep the side silk curtains that frame the window now. The walkway that comes up to the front door walks right by this window so even in the daytime I still would like a little privacy.

Any ideas out there for this window that would not "break the bank"? I would certainly appreciate hearing them!

Garage Sale Makeover

2010-06-03T14:56:00.000-04:00

Here is another of my garage sale finds. This little table was only $2 but was in sorry shape...at least the finish was. It was structurally solid. This was found the same day as I found my mirrors but not at the same garage sale.

A little white paint and a new glass knob and I had myself a new little bedside table!

Not bad for $2 and a little work!

The Other Mirror

2010-05-25T22:18:00.000-04:00

Ok.......here it is! You remember from the previous post I said I was going to paint the other mirror white and now it is done! Luckily it was very easy to take apart and paint the frame without the glass in it.

I hung it in our spare bedroom above the bed and between the swags I hung over the head of the bed.

I have been working on this room to make it more "princess like" for my granddaughter when she comes to visit.

I think I did pretty well for spending only $2 on each mirror! I got 2 different looks for a steal!

Garage Sale Treasure of the Day

2010-05-13T08:44:00.000-04:00

I went to several community garage sales in my town last weekend. I found several great things that I am going to repurpose in some shape or form in the near future but this mirror was my treasure of the day! This particular home was selling belongings that had belonged to their grandmother so there was quite a bit of stuff. I immediately spied this mirror and one just like it sitting next to each other. I figured they would want at least $20 each but I decided to ask anyway. I asked her if she wanted to sell them as a set or separately and she told me either way and that they were $2 each!! Whoa! I grabbed my husband and steered him in the direction of the mirrors with him asking "you don't want them do you?" OH YEAH.....I did....not just one, but both of them!

I actually had visions of them painted white when I bought them and I actually do still have that vision for the other one but I decided that I wanted to put one in my living room and if it was white it would stick out like a "sore thumb"......so since I do have touches of gold in the living room I decided not to paint it. It is really growing on me!

But for only $2, I was just thrilled to get them! They are very heavy and very well made.

More garage sales this weekend......May and June are the most popular months in my town. "Got to get, while the gettins good"!

The Chairs Came In

2010-05-09T22:43:00.000-04:00

My chairs are here for my kitchen island. I am not sure I am happy with the contrast of the colors of the chairs and the new paint job on the island. The chairs said "antique white" and they almost have a yellowish tint to them.

I really don't want to repaint any of it so right now I am living with it.

I want to either make chair cushions or buy them.....not sure yet. I am thinking that the cushions might be a distraction of the two shades of white and not call attention to so much.

I wonder if a print or a solid color would be better for the fabric.....? Hmmmmmm.........What do you guys think?

The Island Project

2010-04-23T10:49:00.004-04:00

Well, here it is! We are very happy how the project turned out. It just started out a plain kind of a knotty pine cabinet looking island and my husband put the extra trim pieces on it and dressed it up a little. Along with the new paint job, "Fresh cotton" from Valspar it looks pretty good! I have new counter chairs ordered so I am anxious to see what they will look like. Also we are looking at corbels to put under the counter top for extra stability but have not found the right ones yet.

We had bought new pendant lighting with white globes but because these original lights are only able to be changed out via the attic and my husband(he's not an electrician) feels this is not a job he wants to tackle, I think we will be keeping these. They are black right now. My question is....should we keep them black since our appliances are black or should we maybe paint them white? What do you think?

First Garage Sale of the Season!

2010-04-19T12:52:00.000-04:00

Well, it's my first garage sale that I have been to this season anyway......but before I tell you what I got, I just wanted to tell you about a blog giveaway at "My Cottage Charm". Melissa has a really great one going on with several beautiful giveaways. Her blog is so pretty and she is so entertaining to read and not only that, she has alot of great "how-to's". Just click on her button at the top of my sidebar! Ok....well I was really excited on Friday when I was on my way to walk at my nearby fitness trail and I always go by one of my favorite little homes here in my town. The owners always have their home so nice on the outside that you can just tell that the "inside" has got to be even better! As I passed it I noticed that they were having a garage sale, so naturally I made a quick turn and parked the car. Without looking at anything for sale I immediately started gushing to the homeowner how much I LOVED her home! As soon as I said it she turned to her friend and asked her to take me through it! OMG! I cannot tell you how nice this home was! Every room had an antique chandelier in it and was just lovingly decorated throughout. I would have loved to have taken some photos but I didn't want to push my luck and I didn't have my camera anyway. I did find out that she is a decorator and works at a paint and design store in town. I can't believe how nice she was to let a stranger just walk through her home. So, I did find a few things at her garage sale.....one of them being this cute little rose encrusted mini teapot and sugar/creamer with a matching plate/tray.

I also got this silver teapot and another creamer/sugar for only $5. It was pretty tarnished and did not look so attractive but it cleaned up quite nicely!

This tray was $2 and I want to do something creative with this....any ideas? I definitely want to paint it and cover this picture part with something. We are almost done with the island....just waiting for the doors and drawer fronts to dry completely. We like how it has turned out! I wish my new chairs would get here! I will show photos of the island in the next few days. See you soon!~Patti

Beautiful April !

2010-04-08T12:23:00.000-04:00

What a beautiful April we have been having! All the ornamental trees are in bloom and our past winter is more of a distant memory now. We have been busy doing yard cleanup and uncovering all the perennials that are popping through underneath the winter's debris. We have also started on our kitchen island project. Since my husband is the one who is doing all the wood cutting, I just kind of supervise right now until my turn comes when I get to start painting. I ordered new counter chairs but they are on back order until next month. Hopefully, I will have some photos of the new and improved island project soon! Stay tuned and I hope you are all enjoying this lovely Spring weather! :) Patti

Happy Easter!

2010-04-01T21:47:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter Everyone! I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday!

Finally Spring!

2010-03-19T22:05:00.000-04:00

After one long snowy cold winter...Spring has finally arrived! The weather has been spectacular the past 5 days! My magnolia blossoms are getting ready to open as are my daffodils!

On our way back from our trip we stopped into a West Virginia Welcome Station and inside were different things made my local artisans. I was immediately drawn to this Welcome slate with the pink roses! I love it hung outside my front door!

Savannah

2010-03-11T07:54:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone! I just got back from a 10 day trip down south. This was a business trip to Orlando for my husband but we decided to add a few fun days on the way. First stop, Savannah, Georgia one of my very favorite places! We stayed at a B&B, The Old Harbor Inn, right on the river in the historic downtown. The original building was built in 1812 but burned down in 1897 but it still has the original foundation. It was rebuilt a few years later and used as warehouse and other businesses through the years and eventually made into this wonderful inn.

This is the entrance to a 3 suite section. The one we stayed in was actually an apartment with a living room, kitchen, bedroom and bath and hallway. The view from our bedroom over looked the river. They served a wonderful breakfast the next morning too!

We ate at one of the historic restaurants "The Cotton Exchange". Speciality shops, restaurants and pubs line the length of the street that sat below our inn.

The Savannah River is a very busy place! This is a ferry that goes back and forth between the hotels and the convention center. There was a boat show that weekend.

My husband was really excited to see this container ship come up the river right in front of us. I wish the picture would do justice to just how large this ship was! We seen two different ones the day we were there. It was extremely chilly while we visited this part of Savannah. The wind was strong and felt like it was going right through you! There was no snow, so I was not complaining! This was our second trip to Savannah and this time we just seen the sights in and around the river. There is so much to see....oh well, maybe the next time.

Childhood Memory

2010-02-22T12:35:00.000-05:00

I was out antiquing last week and found this in one of the stores. When I was a little girl we used to visit my Great Aunt Alma and in her big old fashioned bathroom she had this little ceramic lady lying in some sort of tub or bed and her legs would wave when you touched it.

It sat on the back of the commode and when my Mom used to make me sit on it(the commode) for it seems like an eternity until I "went", I would turn around and play with the little lady's legs. I thought it was just so fascinating at the time!

Well, I found one of these "nodders" as they are called and it comes very close to what I remember. I thought the lady was lying in a bathtub but this one is laying on a bed. See the hole on her chest? There is suppose to be a fan there and it also waves like her legs.
This is actually an ashtray....I was shocked to find that out!

So now I am on a quest to find her fan......that should be like looking for a "needle in a haystack'....don't you think?

Snow, It Just Keeps on Coming!

2010-02-10T19:02:00.002-05:00

I like a nice snowy day every once in a while but when you get dumped on every couple of days it gets a little old! You can hardly recooperate from the one before when another one comes!

These photos are from the first snowfall from Friday so since these were taken we got at least another 5 inches yesterday.

I was worried that the lines might come down from the weight of the snow!

My grandson was here over the weekend so he had fun.....he built this little snowman.

And smiled for the camera right before he ran in and I made him a nice warm cup of hot chocolate!

A Little Antiquing

2010-01-28T13:57:00.002-05:00

Hello Everyone! We finally got out this past weekend and went to the Scott's Antique Show in Columbus. I got to meet my first fellow Ohio blogger, Kathy, from Sylvia's Vintage Daughter. She is so nice and she had some lovely things! Btw, she is having a giveaway that you don't want to miss! Please check out her blog! One of the great things that I found from her, was this really nice silver tray. I have been looking for one for a while now and it was the perfect size. It is major heavy! Mr. CRC had to lug it right out to the car since it was just too heavy to walk around with.

I love the patina on it! I am going to use it in our bedroom on a nightstand next to the bed to hold all of my necessities.

I also got a pair of teacups that I thought were so pretty with a green trim. They were made in Occupied Japan. She also had sets in blue and deep cranberry. I set myself a budget to spend only so much, so I only got these 2. I'm happy!

Last but not least is my beautiful bouquet of pink tulips that my husband brought home to me from work the other day!

They are so pretty and just the right thing to get through these last few days of a cold and blustery January. Thank you Mr. CRC! Love You!

I Finally Found One!

2010-01-17T18:25:00.002-05:00

I have been looking for a white chenille bedspread for the longest time and I finally found a vintage one at an antique store in my town. It is not completely all white but for the price and the condition it was in I was pretty happy with my purchase!

I have a chair in my bedroom that didn't really match anything. It is actually navy blue...from my "americana period" of decorating. Perfectly good chair though, and I thought a white chenille bedspread as a cover up might work just great.

This bedspread has a pastel starfish design on it. I love it!

So comfy looking that it makes you want to curl up in it and read a good book!

Happy 1st Day of 2010!

2010-01-01T20:01:00.005-05:00

Well, it's finally here! Hope you all had a wonderful New Years Eve and that you are enjoying this start to a brand new year! I got up this morning like I usually do on Jan 1 and started to take the tree down. I remember the days when I would get up before everyone else in the house and have everything down and packed away before 9am! Boy, are those days a distant memory! Now it take the two of us all day to accomplish this! All the time I am putting things away I am thinking, ok, talking out loud, that next year I should be much simpler in my decorations. My husband mumbles as I say this because he loves lots of decorations and insists on our tree be a full length tree in the living room and not a table top one. He is a tremendous help though with all the decorating...I can't complain! Oh well....I have another 11 months to think about it... In the meantime for the month of January I usually put up my snowmen to get through the next few weeks of cold dreary days. Here is a few pics of what I accomplished today.

I usually decorate around the fireplace and the mantle.

Sorry these pics are kind of dark....I think I have inferior batteries in my camera.

I like to keep some of my lights up on the little trees ...gives it a little atmosphere! See you soon!~Patti

This Is What Christmas Is All About!

2009-12-27T21:40:00.003-05:00

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas! This is what it was all about for me!

Merry Christmas Everyone

2009-12-23T22:33:00.010-05:00

I can hardly believe that tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I am just about ready except for wrapping a few more presents and making some cheese balls and some other goodies for when my family arrives on Christmas Day. I wanted to show you a few pics of my house and some of my decorating for the holidays. The above pic is of my fireplace mantel.

A couple of my Santas standing guard next to the fireplace.

My tree with an antique lace table cloth that I used for a skirt.

We had a beautiful snowfall this past Saturday and this is looking out my front window of my lawn.

It was like a "winter wonderland" for a few days around here!

I hope everyone has a beautiful Christmas!

Holiday Light Show In Cambridge, Ohio

2009-12-11T12:38:00.014-05:00

I wanted to do an earlier post but I have been having problems with finding my photos on my computer. Don't ask....it's a long story! Anyways........Last weekend we drove over to the nearby town of Cambridge( home of Cambridge Glass) to see their holiday light show at their county courthouse. It was freezing cold and I tried to take pictures of the lights that were in time with the music of Mannheim Steamroller. I guess I didn't set it on the right exposure so the lights did not turn out like I would have wanted them. The last photo on the bottom is just one of the courthouse that I caught that shows some of the colors it turned with the music.

After watching the light show this quaint little town had their Main Street decked out in holiday finery! The windows were all decorated for Christmas.

There are several Antique and Gift shops on Main Street.

They even had carriage rides!

A little hair salon was in the spirit too!

Cambridge is also known for the Dickens characters that are scattered throughout the downtown. Some are caroling.......

Some are sitting on benches gazing in brightly lit holiday store windows.

Some are getting into mischief!

These are only a few of the Dickens characters. They were everywhere! My fingers were so cold it was hard to capture all of them! We are going back this weekend and taking our grandson. The bad news is that it suppose to be even colder than last weekend!

Starting to Look Like Christmas!

2009-11-30T15:11:00.000-05:00

It's starting to look like Christmas around here! We are still eating turkey leftovers while decorating and hanging lights inside and out. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving...we certainly did! I will be back in a few days with more pictures of our house decorated for the holidays. In the meantime, snow is predicted for the end of this week...our first snow of the season!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-23T13:12:00.004-05:00

I am cooking the turkey this year and I feel so blessed to have my family to cook for! I am also thankful for all the friends I have made this year in blogland! I am sending everyone Happy Thanksgiving wishes and I will be back after the holiday!

A Fun Christmas Destination

2009-11-13T14:16:00.015-05:00

Everyone seems to be getting in the holiday mood around blogland so I thought I would show you a place that my husband and I went to last Christmas. We were on our way to visit my gravely ill mother-in-law in Georgia so we decided to stop in Pidgeon Forge and check out the holiday lights. We drove past this hotel called "The Inn at Christmas Place" and thought how nice that would be to spend the night and really get into the holiday mood. Well we walked in and immediately you smell the faint aroma of cinnamon! It's not over powering....just enough scent to lure you further inside! We decided to stay and make it our Christmas present to each other!

It was getting dark and this is what was across the street from the inn......Christmas Village!

This is the back of the hotel! Can you imagine? It looks like something you would see at DisneyWorld! Actually this is the door you enter to go into the lobby.

Inside, the lobby is absolutely gorgeous! Christmas decorations are everywhere!

Just past the lobby is a balcony and when you look down there is a glockenspiel...not sure if I spelled that right? It goes off every hour, on the hour and little doll people come out of it and circle around....ring the bells.

This is the main fireplace in the lobby...beautifully decorated!

Another view of the lobby. Later that night a wedding party came to stay there and took photos of the beautiful bride and groom in front of the decorated tree.

When you got off the elevators you would see vignettes such as this one.

Another vignette in the lower lobby.

Not only was the hotel public places decorated, so was each private room! You could even order your own decorated Christmas tree and have it delivered to your room.......extra $$, of course

The mattresses were even special and you could order one of those to have in your own home!

Private balconies to view the mountains from your own room.

This was the view from our room!

Is this not beautiful? This is something we might do again sometime. If your planning on going to the Smokey Mountains for the holidays I would highly recommend that you stop and just go inside the lobby...you don't have to stay there to see how pretty it is. Also, another fun thing to do is that right before Christmas they have a live Santa Claus that comes in and sings carols with everyone and visits with each of the children. This place oozes Christmas 365 days a year.....nice to experience during the holidays but not in the dog days of summer...at least not for me!

My First Knitting Class

2009-11-07T19:30:00.004-05:00

I took my first knitting class today. I seen in my local library newsletter that they were offering a free class. I picked up the phone right away and signed up. When I first got married my girlfriend tried to teach me since she had just taken it up. Well, that was 37 years ago and needless to say I put knitting behind me. I did manage to take up quilting quite successfully and have made several crocheted afghans. Quilting has now become over whelming to me and I have kind of lost the interest so I decided I needed something more "contained" and easy to handle....thus, the interest in knitting.

I love to look at all the beautiful colors in yarns and the endless array of scarves I could make with them is so enticing!

I had several "teachers" today and they all showed me the same thing to do but each one showed me a different way! Uh oh......this confused me all the more. I intend to stick with it and I may not become an expert....... but maybe I will make some new friends along the way and hopefully get at least one scarf out of it! Wish me luck!

Trick or Treat

2009-10-30T13:05:00.013-04:00

Last night we went to our son and dil's house and got to experience Trick or Treat night again. It's been years since my boys were that age so it was so much fun to be a part of the excitement! Of course, you must spray paint the hair to get ready!

Some of us only had to sit on a lap and look cute as a "pumpkin"!

Being a "rock star" is always popular with the people passing out the candy!

A "hambone".....oops, I mean a 60's Mod girl is always fun or as I called her "Miss Hullabaloo". Do you remember that show from the 60's?

Before the sugar kicked in!

We seen a lot of decorated homes....some cute.....

Some scary ones too!

I don't know about you but Halloween is a big deal these days. I don't remember anyone ever decorating like this when I was a kid.

Inflatables are very popular.

What a fun night! Perfect weather, crunchy leaves under our feet, topped off by hot dogs, chips and chocolate cake! Thanks for letting Mamaw feel like a kid again!

Country Festival and Fall Drive

2009-10-21T20:37:00.013-04:00

We had plans to go to the Apple Butter Stirrin Festival last Saturday but the weather was so nasty...chilly with spitting rain, that we decided to sit that one out. Sunday on the other hand was spectacular and we headed for the Thornville Country Festival....about 20 miles away. The photos just don't do the beautiful scenery justice.....I wish I could have shown it in a panoramic view!

After a wonderful drive up and down rolling hills we pulled into the little town of Thornville. I had to take a quick pic of this darling little house! I feel a little inhibited taking pictures of peoples home....I try to do it discreetly!

The streets were crowded with people looking over all the vendors booths.

Even though the sun was bright and sunny the breeze was still a little on the chilly side!

I picked up a really cute winter hat and a yard chachki. After checking everything out we headed back home but took another route through the backroads.

This is another tiny village out in the country.

Almost home......

Don't you just love these old Mail Pouch painted barns! It is outside our town a few miles.

The view below is a photo of our town from a point above the river that runs through downtown. In person we could see more color dotting the hills in the background. We are having such wonderful warm and sunny weather this week! Enjoying it now because rain is waiting in the wings......again.

Fall At My House

2009-10-11T19:19:00.011-04:00

I can't explain it but my roses are actually pretty impressive right now....they must love the cool temperatures and the moisture and sunny bright days!

After a rainy few days last week we had the most glorious fall weekend here in southeastern Ohio! I can not describe to you the most beautiful weather. The kind of weather that makes you glad to live in Ohio! We went to the local Farmer's Market and got some fall treats and I picked up this really cute plant sitter from a local vendor. It is made from a swinging cafe door and then attached to a little bench. I thought it would look really great with a fall mum.

Today we went for a drive in the country to savor the leaf color and the beautiful hillsides dotted with reds, yellows, oranges and gold. What makes it even more wonderful is that it is about 10 minutes from my house! We stopped at a local farm that sells pumpkins and mums, indian corn and other assorted unusal gourds. We like to buy local and the have great prices!

Autumn Greetings at my front door!

Oh and we can't forget what is the most important thing in Ohio in the fall!

I have the house pretty much decked out now with mums and indian corn and pumpkins.

Hope you enjoyed fall at my house......

It is the end of a beautiful weekend.....the sun is going down and the firepit is crackling. Time to contemplate what lies ahead next weekend. Hopefully it will be more beautiful weather because I am going to The Apple Butter Stirrin Festival in Roscoe Village and also the Thornville Country Fair. I will be taking my camera with me!

Happy Fall!

2009-09-24T12:52:00.006-04:00

The beautiful colors of Autumn! There is no other season that is more vibrant or colorful than fall...especially here in Ohio. I have been a little under the weather with a pinched nerve in my neck so I have not been anywhere to take photos or antiquing or anything new and exciting to blog about unless you want to hear about my new chiropractor! I thought I would at least welcome fall with the rest of you!

Remember the days when we used to lay in the leaves and make forts and had leaf fights? Or make huge piles of them to jump into or just run through?

When I was a kid I can remember the smell of smoke in the air from neighbors burning leaves down at the street by their homes. They don't do that so much anymore because of pollution but any time I do smell that aroma it takes me back to my childhood and good memories!

Bright crystal clear days with bluer than blue skies and shimmering trees that made you smile to see their happy colors. The great thing about fall is that no matter how old you get it comes around every year and we get to experience it all over again!

Weekend Getaway

2009-09-08T12:59:00.006-04:00

We just got back from a quick weekend getaway to St. Louis, Missouri. My childhood friend Cindy and her husband Bob live there so we try to visit every 2-3 years. St. Louis is a beautiful city right on the Mississippi River.

These pictures of downtown St. Louis were taken a few years ago on another visit there....we did not come through downtown this time because of road closures and also the fact that we were driving through torrential rains this time.

On our way driving to St. Louis we stopped in a little town off I-70 in Illinois called Altamont. It was a quaint little town and had a nice antique store that we decided to stop into. ( This was right before the "monsoons' started) It was called "Savannahs Antiques" and had a little bit of everything. I found this little miniature tea set for $4. I know my granddaughter will love using this the next time we have tea!

I also got this teacup with the roses and cherubs. It is English Staffordshire. Unfortunately, because of constant rain on our trip home, we decided to just keep moving and not do anymore stops. There are so many events in the next few weeks so I have to make sure I save some $$ for all of them! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend!

The Rest of the Day

2009-08-26T08:47:00.011-04:00

Hope I didn't make everyone too sad on my last post! I love genealogy and the trip to find the grave of my grandfather was a great feeling of discovery for me. Of course, that was only the first half of the day. You have to balance all that grave walking with a little shopping! So I had planned a little excursion to Tipp City which is only minutes north of Dayton and there was a vintage store that I wanted to visit. Tipp City is a quaint little town...very clean and welcoming.

After driving up and down the main street, I quickly found the store that I wanted to check out.

Feather Your Nest is truly a wonderful vintage shopping experience! Everything is so nicely set up in a beautiful historical building. It was also cool inside because it was sweltering outside! That is always conducive to a good shopping experience! I have to recommend this store if you are in the Dayton area! I would have taken a few pictures but I am never sure how store people will react to that.....I am such a "chicken".

I took some photos of a couple of victorian homes. This home looked more yellow in person but don't you just love that big wrap around porch?

This home was lovely too. This one has that great applique adornment on the front of the house. It would be great to sit out on a warm summer night right on Main St. visiting with strolling neighbors.

After we left Tipp City we headed back east and stopped in Springfield at the Heart of Ohio Antique Mall. By far the largest antique mall I have ever walked in to! Even I was tired of shopping when I got to the end of it..... finally! This picture does not do justice to how big this place really is.

However, I did find a pretty vintage table runner......I am really getting into vintage linens lately!

A closer view. Don't you have to admire the beautiful hand stitching that someone put so much time into?

I also found another of my Haviland platters that I collect. I didn't need another platter but it was the right price....$5. I will be making a trip to St. Louis soon to visit my oldest and dearest friend. We will be making some stops along the way to hopefully some good antique stores!

Long Lost Grave

2009-08-24T08:37:00.009-04:00

It has been a busy time this last week. My grandchildren were out for a few days to spend some time with us before their school started. We had so much fun together going to the county fair and even having a tea party. I wanted to share with you something I did a little over a week ago that you might find interesting. My mother died almost 4 years ago and some years before she died she expressed an interest in finding her fathers grave. She did not know either of her parents. Her mother died before she was 4 years old and her father took off and left his 5 children with various family members. He did come back into their lives just to see them I guess when my mom was a teenager, although she remembers little about it. Her father died when my mom was pregnant with my older brother and she was having a rather sickly pregnancy so she elected not to travel to his funeral. I am not sure any of her siblings went. At the time she got interested in where he was buried, any one to ask any questions about it were long gone. My mom was in her late 70's then and I did not own a computer to do any research so we would go to church records or the main library in town and look through microfilm. Well, long story short, we did not find anything and some years passed and she lost interest. However, a little over a year ago I did find out where he was buried and my husband and I finally decided to make the trip over to Dayton to find it. The above picture shows where we parked our car at this park to make the trek down to the cemetary. We followed the path up to the tennis courts.

We were told to pass through the tennis courts and we would find a path.

The gravel path looked rather ominous not being able to see what was ahead of us. My husband picked up a rather large tree branch as a club just in case he would run into any 4 legged or 2 legged creatures or long slippery moving, hissing objects. When the coast was clear he yelled for me to come on down.

The gravel path was rather steep and of course I had sandals on...I was chastised by my husband for wearing those.

When we got down to the bottom of the gravel path we could see some tombstones and knew we were in the right place.

Back in the 180o's until the mid 1960's this had been the county home. The home has since been torn down but the cemetary where patients died is still there. Thanks to a geneaologist that I had met through some research, she was able to give me the exact burial spot. We walked and searched and finally found the grave.

In the photo above the stone is the 5th stone in from the right.

No. 13-1948.....13th death of 1948. Very sad that, that is all it says on the stone. I am thankful that at least something marks his grave. He was a mystery man to my mom and her siblings and now to his grandchildren. I can only guess that he had his own demons to live with and why he ended up where he did will probably never be known. Kind of sad.......

My Giveaway Arrived!

2009-08-17T08:46:00.007-04:00

My book arrived from Jill @At Home in the Country on Saturday! This is the first one I have won....I don't usually win at anything, well, you know prizewise anyway. I was very excited to get it and wanted you all to see it.

It has a lot of different topics in it so it is not just a cookbook. There are a lot of different ideas to make summer fun.

The illustrations by Susan Branch are wonderful and whimsical.

Jill also included a very sweet homemade card.......thank you Jill! I am enjoying my new book!

A New Project.....maybe?

2009-08-05T08:24:00.004-04:00

I have not wanted to look at a paint brush for a while now let alone pick one up and use it after spending 3 weeks redoing my hutch but I guess those thoughts and feelings are starting to wane. I've mentioned to my husband about repainting the kitchen cabinets off white and I have to tell you my husband is pretty easy to sway with my brainstorms but in this case he is absolutely, positively dead set against it! Considering how many cabinets are in this kitchen, I have to agree. But I got to thinking that maybe just painting the island would be a much better idea that would appease my need to lighten up the area. Well, after discussing this idea with him he is more open to that suggestion. The top photo shows our old countertops with the ugly maroon color and before the granite.

This photo shows the new countertops but....eeeewwww the former ugly fireplace! Please ignore or go back to one of my first posts and see the transformation to what it looks like now.

I would love to have new stainless steel appliances but hey...these work fine so forget that thought! Anyway, what do you think? Do you think that just painting the island would look good? Also, the chairs could be replaced....maybe...depends on the cost or could those be reinvented? My grandkids sit on those alot so I would want those to be pretty durable. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

My Birthday Present

2009-07-27T22:09:00.004-04:00

I just wanted to show everyone what I got for my birthday. I had seen this really cute little mirrored shelf at the Cracker Barrel in my town a couple of months ago and knew that I had the perfect spot for it in my bathroom. I decided to wait and see if it would go on sale and maybe get it then. Well, on Sunday morning we decided to go out for breakfast, the day after my very successful garage sale and when we walked into the gift shop there it was and 25% off! I told my husband that when we got done with breakfast we would figure out if we were going to get it or not. My husband had left his reading glasses in the car and could not read the menu so he went out to get his glasses and when he came back to the table he told me that it was the last shelf left and it would be waiting for us when we paid our bill. When we got ready to leave they had it all boxed up and ready for us!

I think it goes great with the wallpaper!

I think the glass knobs really make it unique! Who knew that I would find something so shabby chic at Cracker Barrel!

A Few New Plates

2009-07-24T11:41:00.006-04:00

I have had a very busy week getting ready for my garage sale tomorrow. I just wanted to show you my new plates I bought last weekend when I was out antiquing. You know I am a plate addict! I thought they would look great on the my newly painted white hutch....the white background really makes them pop, I think!

I thought this little sugar container was so sweet with it's pastel yellow color and of course the pink and green floral pattern. I wish it's mate, the creamer, had been with it but it was by it's lonesome.....maybe someday I will find it.

This plate was sitting outside at an antique store porch and was so dusty and dirty but it was only $1 so a little soap and water and it is beautiful!

I love the pink on this one! It is actually a larger bowl not a plate.

And this is just a little saucer but it has such a delicate floral pattern and real subtle pastel green and pink border with a scalloped edge. Well, the weather forcast tomorrow is for possible severe storms.....I wonder if we can get this garage sale off to a good start before we have to close it.....I'll let you know in a few days! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

It's Finally Done!

2009-07-16T06:56:00.005-04:00

Well, you remember a few weeks ago and the advice I asked for in whether or not to paint my dining room hutch? Well, it finally done! On the most part anyway.

We finally got it out to the garage.....I looked at it and asked myself, "what did I get myself into?" It looked even bigger and a more daunting task out there!

I got busy and sanded it and also used liquid sander(thanks Sue!). Primed it, etc......my back was aching by then...sitting on an old milk crate...but finally it was ready to go back into the house...3 weeks later.

Here is the end result! I ended up not painting the inside of the top a light green. I decided to just use it on the door insets and at first I didn't think it was much contrast and you may not be able to see that in the photo but in person you can see it and I was after a very subtle contrast. I also put wood appliques on the long drawer and some on the 2 upper doors. I am still debating on putting them on the lower doors. I am also going to antique the appliques. I have also not distressed it yet. My husband thinks I am crazy to be thinking about rubbing the paint off again! He doesn't get that part!

One more thing.......I decided to leave the original hardware. They are brass and have aged to a nice patina and why go to the extra expense...those things are not cheap! Hope you all like it!

My New/Old Chandelier

2009-07-13T08:20:00.005-04:00

This is something I have been wanting to do for a while now.....reinventing my dining room chandelier. The picture above really does not do it justice because it really didn't look that bad to begin with. It was just a plain black wrought iron light fixture with pale green shades. But I had another vision of it....more romantic and sparkley.....brighter and lighter! Well, after many discussions on how we would paint it....either by brush or spray can, my husband won out and decided to spray it. He refused to disconnect it and take it down. Even with all windows open and fans blowing it was a pretty potent experience!

You can see the spray paint can and the box to try and deflect flying paint......needless to say it was my husband's aching shoulders doing this job!

I wish this picture did it more justice.....it really did turn out much prettier than this photo shows. And the shopping excursion we went on in Amish country last week to find what we were in search of? We were looking for crystals to hang on the new chandelier. We did find 5 large crystals only to fnd when we got home we had 6 arms on it. So the next day we happened to be at a local antique store in our town and found a whole slew of crystals for $1 each! I grabbed up those and hung them and was thrilled how they looked but it still needed something. Well, next stop Hobby Lobby. Here it is July, and much to my dismay they have all their Christmas decorations displayed already....but......I found crystal garland that would be wonderful to hang on it! Merry "early" Christmas to me!

I am very happy with how it turned out! My husband loves it too. He usually groans and moans when I tell him I have a new "idea". I know it usually involves work for him but he is pretty good about doing projects with me and is always happy with the end result. Ok....well the hutch is pretty much done....moved back into the dining room and I am "decorating" it now! I love how it turned out and anxious for you all to see it. Just give me a few more days!

Thrill of the Hunt

2009-07-09T08:37:00.005-04:00

When we went to Amish country, we were looking for something specific.......and we did find what we were looking for but I wanted to show you a few things that I also picked up while there. I have been collecting red transferware for a while now and found this little teacup and saucer for a good price. Actually, I thought a lot of the antique stores were a little on the pricey side so I needed to stick to my budget and not spend too much in case I found what I was originally on the hunt for.I just thought this little plate was so cute with what it said....it will look good on my newly painted hutch when it is done.......I am getting close to being finished! Yea!
Right before we left I came upon this vintage mirror.....I had to have it! It was sitting there dirty and dusty but I knew it would look great with a little cleaning.

Very shabby chic!

In my next post I will show you what we were looking for and our new transformation.

A Day in Amish Country

2009-07-06T09:31:00.009-04:00

Our 37th wedding anniversary was July 3, so we decided to drive up to Holmes county, otherwise known as "Amish Country". It is about an hour from our home and a very scenic drive. Holmes county country side is so pretty with gently rolling hills and white farmhouses and barns dotting the area. Let me tell you, some homes of the Amish are extremely nice..... Business is very good for some of them! The only problem we had is that it was so packed with people because of the holiday weekend. Traffic was quite congested in certain areas. My advice is to go on a weekday...preferably not close to a holiday!

This is Guggisberg Cheese factory and store and they have a cute little ice cream store that we stopped by on our way back home. They have the best Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream!

I got a shot of some Amish buggies....I tried to be respectful and not take pictures of the Amish riding in their buggies so I got a shot of some parked outside by themselves.

This is one of the huge antique malls in Berlin. It is 2 stories and loaded with antiques!

A unique display of stone mushrooms!

They have some wonderful shops in Berlin. This was a gardening store that specializes in "Fairy Gardens".

I feel fortunate to live so close to such a unique way of life....so simple, laid back but I know they work very hard. In my next post, I will show a few things I got this past weekend at the antique stores.

Weekend with my Granddaughter

2009-06-29T07:42:00.009-04:00

My granddaughter was with us this past weekend. I made good on a promise from her birthday in May that when school was out for the summer I would take her to a friend's new business for a day of "pampering." She got her hair done in a pretty little "up do", her nails done, got to make her own lipgloss and bubble bath and got to dress up and pose for the camera! She just loved it! The name of the business is "Girls Glitter and Grace' http://www.girlsglitterandgrace.com/ and is located in Newark, Ohio. Our friend
Grace has really made this place a really special place for young girls to get a little pampering and have fun! You can have birthday parties there or a tea party or just have a special day for someone special in your life. Just look how special she has decorated her place with "shabby chic' decor! The chandeliers and furniture look so pretty and really add to the whole experience. So, if you live in the central Ohio area or know someone in this area who has little girls, this would be a great place to take them for a special treat!

My Favorite Garage Sale

2009-06-22T07:34:00.007-04:00

Last week the sign went up near my neighborhood that a garage sale that I went to last year was once again opening it's door to everyone. The house is one of the most darling of cottage homes and probably one of my favorite to just drive by and "look" at. I can tell that whoever lives here has similiar tastes to mine. Last year I found the best stuff at this sale! We arrived promptly at 9am and found the street already lined with parked cars. I immediately instructed my hubby to "let me out" so I could make a dash to the garage. When I walked in I immediately found a topiary for $4 that I knew would look great on my fireplace shelf. I picked up 2 vintage rose plates, for $2 each and knew where I was going to hang them! Uh, oh.....I spied something else and my hands were already full.....where was my husband?? Still parking the car?? I needed more hands and could not set it down because of all the other customers! Whew....I finally seen my husband walking up the driveway and signaled to him to come and help me. Now with my hands free I was able to find a few more things.

Miniature toile teapots $1 each and plate 75 cents. Also a tole painted tin container $1.

Vintage rose plates $2 each.

50 cents for this brand new picture frame.

I didn't get these at a garage sale but wanted to show the pretty quilted placemats I got at TJ Maxx all 4 for $5. Later on that morning at another garage sale, I got a 3 ft tall grapevine christmas tree for $1! Those particular trees can be quite pricey brand new. This one was already decorated but I will take the old decorations off and redo the whole thing....I will show it in a future post. All in all another good day. Now I am seriously considering having my own sale. I haven't done it in years but I am ready to "purge" the house of my own junk and let it become someone else's treasures.

Father's Day

2009-06-20T16:13:00.002-04:00

I Need An Opinion

2009-06-18T11:46:00.003-04:00

I need an opinion.....I am seriously considering painting my hutch, antique white and the inside back a very pale mint green. The hutch is from the 60's early american and I am thinking I would like to see it more updated with a more shabby chic look. I guess I am a little nervous about doing it and a little apprehensive but I also think in the end that I am going to love it.....what do all of you think?

I've Been Tagged...Ok, I'll it Do This One Time

2009-06-17T18:42:00.002-04:00

Yes, I have been "tagged" by Allison of A Little Shabby Always Chic and also recently by Sue of Sullivan and Murphy to tell 6 interesting things about myself. I have recently become an Award and Tag free blog but since these two wonderful ladies were both my first loyal followers I am going to make an exception and try and do this one time.. I would have no problem if you were sitting here in my livingroom or on my front porch to talk your ear off and tell you probably more than you would want to know. For some reason I fret and fuss when I have to put in writing and get myself stressed out but I am going to give it a try....so here goes....

1. I have been with my husband since I was 15 years old....we dated for 4 years and then married and have been happily married for 37 years on July 3. He spoils me to death...I suppose that is why we are so happy! lol

2. I love to decorate and always have....I used to get excited in elementary school when the teacher would change desks around and there would be a whole new 'look".....sounds weird, I know.

3. I am a very "nostalgic' person! Sometimes that is a good thing and sometimes it gets on everyone else's nerves when they don't remember the same things that I do.

4. I used to love to make quilts.....for years I was obsessed with sewing but when I turned 50 I started to notice that lot of the things I used to love to do had changed and I have developed different interests....is that what "the change' really means??

5. I started seriously doing genealogy a few years ago....I am so fortunate to have started doing that while both my parents were still living and could share information with me, but I still wish they were still here to ask a few of the questions I forgot to ask. So if you still have your parents and you have an interest in that make sure you ask now and write it down!

6. One last thing....I am a professional "procrastinator' as my hubby calls me...I Don't know why but I do my best work in the "eleventh hour".....I am trying to do better at that...it just takes time!

I didn't tag anyone else on this...anyone reading this and that wants to do the same.....knock yourself out...I would be happy to read it!

A Gardening Weekend

2009-06-15T11:05:00.005-04:00

We started out hitting the garage sales bright and early on Saturday. There were not nearly as many as there were the week before. That was disappointing, but we did go to several and I did find an old white chair to sit out in my garden next to my watering can planter. It was already painted so that was a plus and it was the right price $3. Speaking of my watering can planter it used to be a water feature that sat out by the front door of my former home. When we moved here, the house being an older home, did not have electricity on the outside so I just made it into a planter. No more worrying about pumps, anyway. The rest of the weekend was just doing some things that we had been planning on doing but just had not got around to yet.....edging with brick around the flower beds....finishing putting down mulch and adding peat moss to the beds. Everything is nice and neat now........I just wish it would stay that way!

The Free Glider

2009-06-11T08:14:00.003-04:00

Well....here it is! We picked it up last Friday and brought it back to our house. I was going to paint it white but was very pleased to find that it already white! It will need a little bit of touch up but you can't beat the price! Free!